The best muffin recipe ever...

Pinterest has become my latest obsession. I will be the first to admit it. What made me fall in love with Pinterest was the food. Oh, the food! What a source of inspiration! You can find the simplest or the most complex recipes and recipes to match any diet. The pictures make my mouth water every time I log on.

Feeding a toddler is hard. One day my daughter loves peas, the next day, she has a breakdown if I even say the word. It can be even more challenging feeding a toddler who has a restricted diet. The most obvious and easiest thing to do is eliminate any whole food that is allergy causing from a recipe. If a muffin recipe calls for nuts, I just don't put them in. I personally believe that the real challenge of cooking something for a food allergic individual lies in finding substitutions for an allergy causing ingredient and reading the fine print of ingredient labels for all other ingredients in the recipe. Before my daughter was diagnosed with her allergies, I would have never thought twice about reading that lupin, arachis or even amaretto was listed as an ingredient in something. Now I have a list of red-flag ingredients on my phone that I carry with me everywhere so that if I am in doubt about something listed on a label, I can check my red flag list and avoid anything that could be dangerous. When we first started our food allergy journey I was overwhelmed by ingredient lists but with time, it has definitely become easier to identify dangerous ingredients and I am becoming more familiar with allergy friendly brands and products. It has also become easier for consumers to find safe replacements for dairy, eggs, and many of the other top 8 common allergens. With a little bit of research and preparation, you can make an allergy friendly version of most recipes.

So I ran across this recipe on Pinterest this past fall and it has become a staple in our household. What drew me to it was the name of the recipe - "toddler muffins." Anyone with a two-year old would click on this pin to find out more. They are amazing, healthy and toddler friendly. My daughter is only allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish so these are safe for her. If your little one has other allergies, you could easily use a gluten-free flour or egg replacement etc for the other ingredients (the recipe does call for butter, flour, and egg). It is a flexible recipe and I have changed it around a bit based on what I have had in my pantry and fridge at the time and honestly, they have always turned out great!